Everything you need to run a tournament
From the first pairing to the final standings, ChessHost runs the whole event so you can focus on the chess.
Automatic Pairings
Swiss, Round Robin, and Knockout pairings are generated for you every round. In Swiss nobody is knocked out, so everyone keeps playing.
Fast Results Entry
Tap in each result as games finish. The next round's pairings appear instantly, with byes handled for odd player counts.
Live Standings
Rankings and tiebreaks update automatically after every round, so the leaderboard is always accurate and ready to share.
TV Display
Put pairings, standings, and final results on a venue TV or projector with one link, in several clean visual themes.
Tournament software without the learning curve
Most chess tournament software is built for professional arbiters and assumes you already know pairing rules and rating math. ChessHost takes the opposite approach. There is no install, no spreadsheet, and no arbiter knowledge required. You create the tournament, players self-register by scanning a QR code, and the software handles pairings, results, and standings for you.
It runs in any browser on a laptop, tablet, or phone, so you can manage the entire event from the device already in your hand. And because the essentials are free to start with no credit card needed, you can run a full tournament without ever reaching for a payment form. Free for events up to 9 players. Events with 10 or more players use a one-time tournament credit from $1.99.
How it works in 3 steps
From nothing to a running tournament in about two minutes.
1. Create your event
Pick a name, a format (Swiss, Round Robin, Knockout, or Team Battle), and the number of rounds. That is the whole setup, about two minutes on any device.
2. Players scan a QR code
Show the join code on your phone or the venue TV. Players scan it and register themselves, no app, no accounts, no typing names into a spreadsheet.
3. Run the rounds
Pairings are generated automatically each round. Tap in results as games finish and the standings, tiebreaks, and TV display update on their own.
A complete chess tournament management system
Everything a paid tournament management system does for a casual event, in one free browser tab.
Tournament management dashboard
One screen shows the current round, outstanding games, and live standings, so you always know exactly where the event stands.
Player registration with QR sign-up
Players join by scanning a code, and you can add or remove names at any point. See the dedicated chess tournament registration software page for how sign-up works.
Swiss, Round Robin and Knockout pairings
Correct pairings every round, with byes and rematches handled for you. Our Swiss pairing software page explains the pairing engine in detail.
Automatic Buchholz and Sonneborn-Berger tiebreaks
When players finish level, the standard tiebreaks are calculated instantly. Curious how they work? Read chess tiebreak systems explained.
Why organizers switch from spreadsheets and desktop pairing programs
Spreadsheet pairing falls apart the moment two players have already met or someone drops out mid-event: you end up redoing the round by hand while the room waits. Desktop pairing programs solve the math but bring their own friction, they are mostly Windows-only, licensed, and built for certified arbiters, which is a lot of overhead for a club night or a school event.
ChessHost sits in the sweet spot: correct pairings and tiebreaks with none of the install or learning curve, on whatever device you already have. If you want to see how it stacks up against Swiss-Manager, Vega Chess, Tornelo, and Lichess, read the full best chess tournament software comparison.
Which setup fits your event?
Most organizers arrive here from one of four situations. The software is the same in each, only the setup changes.
A school or classroom club wants short rounds that fit a lunch break, printable certificates for every child, and a projector view the whole hall can read. Start with school chess software, or homeschool chess tournament software for a small mixed-age co-op.
A pub or cafe night wants fast blitz rounds, walk-up registration by QR code so nobody queues at a clipboard, and a screen behind the bar. See running a pub chess tournament.
A weekly club wants the same players tracked from week to week, a member register, and a public page people can find. That is chess club software.
If none of those quite fit, just start a tournament. The defaults suit almost every casual event, and you can change the format later.
Manage the whole event from a browser tab
There is nothing to install and nothing to keep updated. ChessHost runs in the browser you already have, on a laptop, a tablet, or the phone in your pocket, and everything saves as you go. You can set an event up on a desktop at home and then run it from your phone in the hall.
That matters mid-event. If a laptop battery dies or someone needs the room's only computer, you pick the tournament up on any other device and carry on from the same round.
Players never install anything either. They scan a QR code to register, with no account and no app, then follow pairings and standings from a read-only link on their own phones, so you are not shouting pairings across a noisy room. The same event can go on the venue TV or a classroom projector at the same time.
What "free" actually means in tournament software
Almost every tool in this category calls itself free, and the word covers three very different things. Worth knowing which one you are signing up for before your event night:
- Genuinely free, with limits. A real free tier you can use forever, capped on something like player count. Nothing expires.
- Freemium. Free to open, but the features you need on the night, the display screen, exports, registration, sit behind a subscription.
- Free trial. Free for 14 or 30 days, then it stops. Fine for a one-off, a problem for a weekly club night.
ChessHost is the first kind, and the limit is player count rather than features. Events up to 9 players are free forever with no credit card, and every feature is included at that size: pairings, results, tiebreaks, live standings, the TV display, QR registration and certificates. Events of 10 or more players use a one-time tournament credit from $1.99, bought when you need it. There is no subscription, nothing renews, and nothing expires if you skip a month. The full breakdown is on the pricing page, and the best chess tournament software guide compares what the other tools mean by free.
Run your next tournament free
Set up your chess tournament in under two minutes. No download and no credit card. Just a free account to get started.
Launch ChessHostFrequently asked questions
What is the best free chess tournament software?
ChessHost is free chess tournament software that runs in any browser. It pairs every round automatically (Swiss, Round Robin, or Knockout), records results, shows live standings, and puts the event on a TV. Events up to 9 players are free with no credit card needed. Larger events of 10 or more players use a one-time tournament credit from $1.99.
Is chess tournament software free?
ChessHost is free forever for the tournament essentials, with no credit card required. Events of up to 9 players are completely free. Larger events of 10 or more players use a one-time tournament credit.
Do I need to install chess tournament software?
No. ChessHost runs entirely in your browser, so there is nothing to download or install on any device. You can set up a tournament in under two minutes and players self-register by scanning a QR code.
Which tournament formats does it support?
ChessHost supports Swiss, Round Robin, and Knockout formats, plus a Team Battle mode. Pairings, byes, tiebreaks, and standings are all calculated automatically for whichever format you choose.
Is ChessHost a chess tournament generator?
Yes. ChessHost works as a free chess tournament generator and maker: enter your players and it generates the pairings, brackets, and standings for every round automatically. There is nothing to download, and you can create a tournament in under two minutes.
What is a chess tournament management system?
A chess tournament management system handles the admin of an event: player registration, round pairings, results, tiebreaks, and standings. ChessHost is a free browser-based tournament management system, so you get all of that without installing software or learning arbiter tools.
Can I run a chess tournament from my phone?
Yes. ChessHost is built mobile first, so you can create the event, pair every round, enter results and read the standings from a phone. Nothing is installed, and because the tournament saves as you go you can switch between your phone, a tablet and a laptop mid-event without losing a round.
Can players follow the tournament online?
Yes. Every tournament has a read-only spectator link you can share by message or QR code. Players and parents open it on their own phones to see the current pairings, their board number and the live standings, without an account and without being able to change anything.
Is there a completely free chess tournament software?
Yes. ChessHost is completely free for events up to 9 players, with no trial period, no credit card, and no feature paywall on the essentials. Larger events of 10 or more players use a one-time tournament credit from $1.99.